Case: Lester v. Commissioner of Philadelphia Prisons

2:87-05893 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Filed Date: Jan. 20, 1988

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Case Summary

In 1988, inmates confined at the Philadelphia Industrial Correction Center, a jail, represented by private counsel, filed a Section 1983 class action suit in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against prison officials. Plaintiffs alleged that there were unwarranted acts of violence against inmates by staff.The parties reached a settlement which was approved by the court in June 1988. Under the terms of the agreement, the Philadelphia Prison Society was to investigate any allegations of the …

The parties reached a settlement which was approved by the court in June 1988. Under the terms of the agreement, the Philadelphia Prison Society was to investigate any allegations of the use of physical force against inmates by prison officials. The results of all investigations were to be forwarded to the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office and the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Prisons.

In 1991, plaintiffs sought to modify the agreement by including the Federal Bureau of Investigations to the list of recipients of the Prison Society's findings. The District Court (Judge Clarence C. Newcomer) denied the motion holding that plaintiffs had failed to show any extreme circumstances or unexpected hardship sufficient to justify modification of the consent decree. Lester v. Commissioner of Philadelphia Prisons, 1991 WL 8423 (E.D. Pa. January 22, 1991). Litigation regarding attorneys' fees continued until April 1991. Lester v. Commissioner of Philadelphia Prisons, 1991 WL 75128 (E.D. Pa. April 29, 1991).

The docket for this case is not available on PACER, and therefore our information ends with the most recent decision, dated April 29, 1991.

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Summary Authors

Eoghan Keenan (6/10/2005)